“He found it on the side of the road,” Eddy supplies. “Picked it up and decided it needed a new home without even asking a vet to check for a chip.”
Silently, I concede that maybe Lambert was right not to. If, by some miracle, this cat isn’t a stray, the owner should probably be arrested for animal cruelty.
“I wonder what she’ll name you,” Lambert croons, keeping hold of the flailing feline’s scruff and wiggling his finger in front of its ridiculous jaw with a sappy expression on his face. “Lambert Junior? It kinda has your eyes, North. Maybe?—”
“If you think I’m sharing a name with that thing…” North trails off, lips pressing into a thin line. “Get rid of it before she banishes you for bringing it in here. There’s got to be a rule about pets somewhere.”
Kyrith is actually rather lenient with the rules around us, but I don’t point that out. I don’t want to encourage him.
“Leo, back me up.” Lambert turns his attention to the Ó Rinn heir.
Galileo has been pretending he isn’t listening, but the pages of his books stopped turning a while ago. Now, he eyes the ball of dirty fluff with a grimace. “She doesn’t have time to take care of a cat. She’s already running around after your ungrateful asses.”
He glares at North as he says it.
Unfortunately, Leo’s words don’t seem to have the intended effect on Lambert. “I know! Which is why it’s lucky we’re all in the Arcanaeum polycule. I’ll ask Kyrith to add a clause about sharing cat-daddy duties.”
“Absolutely not.” Pierce snaps his own book closed, and I scan the title absently.
Covenants: Their Limitations and Loopholes.I raise both brows. Is he trying to get out of the covenant? If so, it’s a wee bit daft to read about it in the Library. Kyrith will know exactly what he’s up to.
He continues, “The first person who suggests I clean out a litter box is going to get?—”
Whatever he might’ve threatened us with is cut off as the illusion over our heads shatters, dispersing like a cloud to reveal a plain white ceiling that breaks apart. Six triangularpanels retreat into the walls like they were never there, leaving the Rotunda exactly as it was before the mysterious meeting began.
Lambert shoves the cat behind his back. Since he’s facing away from me, I’m treated to a good view of the creature scratching him. It’s batting at the tiny blond braids swinging just out of its reach.
Kyrith glides down, illuminated by the stained glass above in a way that makes her difficult to see properly. She’s pinching her brow like she’s developing a headache.
That cannae bode well.
“No luck?” Pierce asks.
Kyrith lets out a long sigh, drifting past him with a pointed tap to the cover of the book, before reforming beside Dakari, who grabs her shoulders and kneads them slowly as she returns to her physical form.
My hands itch to do the same, but I console myself with the reminder that she agreed to my date. I’ve almost got everything ready.
Not knowing whether she’s read my contract is making the anticipation worse. My mouth is dry just thinking about it, and I search for some clue in her expression, but she’s still focused on whatever happened in that meeting.
She takes a deep breath and announces, “The parriarchs failed to reach a consensus.”
My gut sinks. “I should’ve been there.”
They were relying on my testimony, but Aunt Halinor and Kyrith both insisted I should stay out of it beyond my written statement.
“It wouldn’t have helped. Isidora was on a mission to cast doubt on everyone and everything. In the end…it was my impartiality that doomed the meeting.”
What?
Even Pierce’s eyebrows have risen. “How so?”
Kyrith’s head lolls forward on a moan as Dakari reaches a tense spot. When she looks up again, there’s a slight flush to her cheeks, like she’s embarrassed to be caught so off guard.
“The parriarchs had differing opinions on how the situation should be managed, or whether there was a threat at all.” She shrugs out of Dakari’s hold and paces back and forth in front of her desk. “I should’ve summoned everyone except Isidora and the rector and been plain with them. If I’d been completely transparent rather than expecting them to trust in vague threats and nameless dangers, we might’ve gotten somewhere. Instead…”
The parriarchs argued, Kyrith had no allies, and nothing was done. I’m not exactly shocked.
“And then, to make matters worse, the rector pulled out a list…” She grumbles even as a table appears behind her, squarely in view of the main doors. “The nerve…trying to dictate what books should be allowed in the Arcanaeum! Honestly.”
